Microsoft To-Do is the default task management app on Windows. However, unlike other Microsoft 365 apps, this one is bare-bones and leaves a lot to be desired for power users. Thankfully, there is no shortage of capable task management apps for Windows. If you are looking for a robust to-do app for personal use or for a small team, check out the top Microsoft To-Do alternatives for your laptop.

Todoist

If you have played with task management apps before, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Todoist tops the list. Todoist has pretty much everything you need for task management. It has certainly nailed the basics with quick add, recurring due dates, and integration with more than 80 apps.

For example, you can simply write "Do 20 minutes of meditation every day at 8 am" and it creates a recurring task in your list. Todoist also works well with your preferred productivity apps like Slack, Outlook, Gmail, Evernote, and others. For instance, you can add a Todoist extension to your Outlook mail and convert any email into a task with a single click.

You can also manage projects with sub-tasks, by priority, and with labels. Or explore the AI assistant to help you with filters and invite your team members for live collaboration. It also supports a calendar and board view to keep your schedule in check. You can visualize your habits, activity history, and overall productivity trends from a dedicated statistics menu.

Todoist paid plans start at $4 per month. It is available on every platform you can think of: you can access Todoist from a wearable, via your preferred browser, phone, desktop, and even Linux devices.

TickTick

TickTick is another robust Microsoft To-Do alternative out there. Apart from task management, it comes with a bunch of features to take your productivity to the next level. Similar to Todoist, it has features including quick add, location reminders, and recurring tasks.

But two of the best TickTick features are the Pomo timer and habit tracker: these let you track your productivity hours better, and you can even play white noise in the background while using the timer. At the end of the month, you can glance over the statistics page to check your task completion rate, completion distribution, and overall work efficiency.

TickTick also offers live collaboration features, but they are basic at best, and we wouldn’t recommend using it for complex project management.

TickTick has native apps on all the major platforms, and the pricing starts at $4 per month.

Any.do

Any.do is ideal for personal use, families, and small teams. Whether you want to plan your day, manage a small project, create a road map, manage an event, or draft a content calendar, Any.do has ample features to get the work done faster.

You can create to-do lists, check your daily planner, and explore integration with third-party apps to manage your tasks like a pro. Any.do also lets you import your existing projects and tasks from other apps like Trello, Asana, and Todoist.

The user interface is minimal, straightforward, and easy to work with. When you work with different apps at your workplace, you can utilize Any.do’s third-party integration to manage your tasks and projects in one place. You can also explore Zapier integration to take your automation experience to the next level.

Another neat add-on is the ability to create tasks and get reminders directly in WhatsApp. Any.do Premium plan starts at $3 per month.

Taskade

Taskade is the most expensive Microsoft To-Do alternative on the list. There is a good reason for that though. Taskade offers task and project management, with notes, docs, mind maps, and other features which are infused with AI. You can add tasks and subtasks, check them in a flowchart, create a Kanban board, explore calendar integration, use Gantt charts, and more. Furthermore, task management is just the tip of the iceberg.

Taskade is jam-packed with AI agents to automate tasks, plus robust team collaboration tools for video chats and meetings. If you are simply looking for a reminder app to replace Microsoft To-Do, Taskade may feel like overkill. Besides, it requires a learning curve to familiarize yourself enough to really utilize its many available features. Taskade Pro starts at $8 per user per month.

Remember The Milk

Dating all the way back to 2004, Remember The Milk is one of the oldest task management apps out there. Similar to Todoist and TickTick, it supports smart add to insert your tasks easily with a single sentence. Smart Lists is an interesting add-on which helps you create special lists based on search criteria. For example, you can quickly create a list of high-priority tasks due for the next month with a single click.

Remember The Milk also supports integration with third-party apps like Gmail, Outlook, Google Calendar, and others. Developers can even write their own code with MilkScript and automate their workflow. Although there are over 100+ themes to choose from, the core UI still looks slightly outdated compared to the competition.

Remember The Milk has apps for web, Mac, Windows, mobile, and tablet platforms. The Pro plan is set at $50 per year.

Now get ready to check off your tasks in style

Gone are the days of managing your tasks using a pen and paper combo. It’s counterproductive and an ineffective way to get you through a busy day. The default to-do apps from Microsoft, Google, and Apple fall flat for a modern user’s needs. You can do much better. This is where these third-party apps come into play. Pick a relevant app based on your needs, budget, and features list, and you'll boost your productivity in no time. Speaking of which, you should also consider our top productivity apps for Windows or top productivity apps for Mac to streamline your workflow.